Friday, August 28, 2009
Today's Technology
This has been on my mind ever since we bought our refrigerator a few months ago.
You would think that when purchasing a new fridge that things would be rather simple, no? Well, guess again. We ordered a 25 cu.ft. black fridge with French doors on top and the freezer on the bottom. It was a dream of mine for the past couple of years, only at first I wanted stainless steel until I saw some black models.
The day before it arrived we had a lot to do so that it would fit where the other fridge was. That one was a side-by-side and I think it was a 22 cu.ft. For some reason, the people that built this house decided they wanted a continuation of the last overhead cabinet, so they extended a board on a slant from the cabinet to the floor. And nailed it to the wall and the floor, unbeknown to us. Till we ripped it out. My husband bought a special saw to cut it away and had to resort to a simple hacksaw. He ended up returning the saw because it didn't cut through the wood. What a mess. That slant board looked nice, but if we didn't cut it away I would have had to settle for a smaller fridge, something I was not wanting to do.
And that was all we could do the night before delivery. When it arrived, we had to remove the storm door and take the front steel door off its hinges. That hadn't been done since we moved here so it was quite a task. A lot of the furniture had to be moved too as it was in the path from the front door to the kitchen. Oh and then there was the problem of where to put all the food. Thankfully we have a large upright freezer in the basement that we bought last year once we got everything straightened out after the flood. The non freezable items went into insulated containers and bags.
Before the fridge ever came off the delivery truck there was an issue. When they called me out to look, all I could think of was the bulls eye on my back that has been there for a very long time and refuses to go away. The delivery guys told me there was a small dent on the left side at the bottom and we had three choices: we could refuse delivery and they would order another one which would take three weeks or more, or we could refuse it and they would give us a loaner, or we could keep it and get 10% off our purchase price. That would make a total of 20% off the price because we initially took advantage of their sale with the 10% discount. We chose the latter. No one will ever see that small dent unless they get down on their hands and knees with a flashlight.
Finally they brought it inside and put it against the wall. I like not having coils behind it because I could never slide the other one out to clean those pesky things. So by now you think everything is hunky dory, right? It's delivered, in its place, the dent issue has been taken care of and the delivery guys have driven off.
When I was washing the drawers, I discovered that the deli tray had a few cracks in the handle and it was scraped at places. That was not acceptable. I called them immediately and they said to come in the store and they would make a swap. We did that. That drawer looked fine. Till I got it home and washed it. Not so fine. It, too, had some fine cracks and scrapes. Now, you might think that is a tiny thing and that after all we had gone through we should just be satisfied and accept it the way it is. Not me. I ordered that refrigerator, and I expected it to be next to damn near perfect. And look what I got. No, I was not going to accept a drawer with flaws.
My husband called the manufacturer after the store said there was nothing else they could do for us. At first they said it would cost us but he reminded them it is just a few days old and under warranty. Then say said it would take a few days to put the order in and then another couple weeks to deliver it to us. We got it within the week. That's the ONLY thing that went right.
So, modern technology? It doesn't exist. Not for me anyway.
posted by Cheyenne at 7:10 PM comment(s) made:
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009
What To Write, What To Write
This might be a long post or it might be a short post, I'm not sure. We'll just see where it goes. At this point in time, I'm fairly out of things to write about. And I feel very guilty if I let too many days go by without a new post. But right now, I've got some heavy duty writer's block.
Maybe it's the heat getting to me. Maybe it's the fact that summer is almost over. Or maybe it's just because I have nothing to write about. Hell, even racing isn't getting me excited enough to write about these days.
I do have a few subjects I want to write about, with pictures, but try as I might I just can't get started on them. You can give me some credit for the one I have half finished though. At least I think it's half finished. Don't hold me to that. I have to go check before I make any bets.
A few months ago I got the brainstorm to work on our bedroom. Most of you know how much I love quilts. I mean, I.love.quilts. One can never have too many of them either. I have my share. What I didn't have though was summer quilts. So I set out to find some. I purchased six over the summer months. One is on the bed now, the other five are still in their wrappings. Of course, I also had to find shams to match each quilt along with those dainty pillows that look nice and serve absolutely no purpose whatsoever. And I bought new curtains for the two windows. One of the first things I did when I started on the room was to remove the curtains from the one window to let light in as I worked. It's still bare. So I have one window covered and one window bare.
Also, when I started on the room I decided to start at one end and work my way around back to where I started. Half the room is done. The other half is still waiting for me to get my butt in gear. Autumn is just around the corner. That calls for a change of bedding, including a different quilt. Yes, I have everything sitting on the cedar chest at the end of the bed just waiting for this woman to get her act together. But she's not listening to me...
posted by Cheyenne at 1:05 AM comment(s) made:
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Friday, August 21, 2009
Almost Over
Summer is coming to an end. Soon all the kids will be back in school. I don't envy them at all. I hated school. I didn't always hate it though...just the last couple of years. First of all I hated having to get up at such an ungodly hour. I was a night owl. Another reason I hated school was the fact that I didn't deal very well with authority. It seems I still have that problem except that now I have a handle on it. I don't take much crap from anyone these days. That's a wonderful feeling. I just wish I felt this way all through school and wherever I worked. Life would have been so much more fun and a lot easier. Instead, I took orders...and hated every minute of it.
My area is experiencing a dreadful heat wave. I don't mind it because I am inside with my best friend, the air conditioner. I do venture out twice a day to feed the cats. And speaking of cats, I have one that is a tad crazy. I don't know if you can call a cat crazy, but I can't think of a better word to describe her. Her name is Mini-Me because she is a replica of her mother. She has had numerous litters only to lose them in the end for some reason or another. She was successful in keeping one kitten four months ago though. I named him Reddi-Wip because he is a red tiger and a real whip. My husband calls him the sidewalk superintendent because he sticks his nose into everything and doesn't miss a trick. And he's got the sweetest innocent face.
A week and a half ago Mini-Me had another litter. Yes, I know, I call her my little ho. She has been keeping me on my toes with this litter. A few days ago, I thought I was rescuing a lost kitten that was screaming its head off only to find out later that it belonged to her. I put it in a box and placed it on our deck hoping that whoever it belonged to would claim it. She eventually claimed it. And then she proceeded to deposit more in the box. And ever since then she has been playing kitten roulette. The kittens keep changing in the box. I swear she had a litter of magicians, or maybe she's the magician.
We think she had six to start with but one of them died two days ago. I think it was the runt of the litter. Those were always my favorite when I was a kid. At this very moment there are three kittens in the box: two black ones and one red one. But like I said, that changes daily. She keeps the other two under the deck, a red one and a black one. I have no idea why she doesn't have them all in one spot. And that's where the crazy comes in.
I am hoping this heat wave goes away soon because it's hot for the cats and their fur coats. I tried to find a cool spot for the kittens somewhere in the yard but close to our deck and had no luck at all. So they are still on the deck where at least there is a breeze.
It's been sort of a quiet summer for us and I am sad to see it coming to an end, although we sometimes have warm weather well into October. But once Labor Day comes and goes, for the most part that is the end. Even though it's still warm it just isn't the same. And guess what? I HATE WINTER! And it's coming fast and furious. But, like everything else, there is no stopping it.
Sorry this turned into a cat/kitten post. That wasn't my intention when I started writing this.
(I am still working on the post about our wind turbine. I need another few weeks to compare the usage of electricity now and before we installed it.)
posted by Cheyenne at 1:10 AM comment(s) made:
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Are You Kidding Me?
This is my 1997 Ford Mustang GT. It was special ordered for me in September 2006 and was a birthday gift from my husband. According to the feds it qualifies as a clunker.
I received a card in the mail this week from Ford telling me I could check online as to whether my car qualifies for this wonderful program the government has going. So for sh*t kicks I did just that. According to them my car gets 18 miles to the gallon and I would qualify for both programs depending on which vehicle I chose to purchase. So I could get $4500 or I could get $3500, it was my choice. According to the original window sticker, my car was supposed to get 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway.
OK, so let's put this into perspective: my Mustang GT has been garage-kept all its life. So now I am supposed to turn in a perfectly good car with less than 3000 miles on it, which has been paid off for over eight years, for a so-called 'green' car? Oh puh-leeze...
If I chose to do that they would then pour something into the engine (close your ears, baby) to disable it and within 180 days it would be sent to the crusher. WTF?
posted by Cheyenne at 12:15 AM comment(s) made:
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Saturday, August 15, 2009
Grateful I'm Not An Eagles Fan
Why?
Michael Vick, torturer and killer of dogs.
Eagles organization >>> stupid asses.
Fans who feel Vick should be given a second chance? Idiots who probably don't care about animals either.
What price glory? The Eagles will go to any length to get to the Super Bowl. Vick should not be allowed on a football field. Rather, he should be cleaning sh*t out of dog pens at kennels, because that's all he is in my book: a piece of sh*t.
posted by Cheyenne at 2:02 PM comment(s) made:
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Almost Heaven...For Me
(I forgot about posting this until I saw the pictures in my camera.)
A few months ago we were given tickets to either of the Pocono race dates. Because we got them just a few days before the June race, we decided to wait for the August race.
At first I was quite excited, thinking they were for the Sunday Cup race, but when I checked the date I found it was for Saturday. I was still fairly stoked about that until I remembered they don't run Nationwide races there. What they were running was the ARCA RE/MAX race. Well, a stock car race is a stock car race, so I was still happy. When I checked the schedule and saw that the Cup cars would be there running two practice sessions...well, what can I say? Pure heaven. I would be seeing my driver after all.
The seats were in the grandstand directly across from the pits, and we could sit wherever we wanted. So we chose to sit just a little to the left of the start/finish line. The day turned out to be gorgeous. Friday it rained and washed out the qualifying session. Sunday it rained and washed out the race pushing it to Monday. So as far as the weather was concerned, we lucked out.
Let me just say that when those first cars zoomed by in front of us that it was quite exhilarating. It's a feeling one cannot describe. For those of you that have been to a race track, you know what I mean. For those of you who have never been to one, what are you waiting for? On the first lap of practice before he even crossed the start/finish line, Tony Stewart wiped out his #14 car on the 3rd turn and had to go to a backup car for the race. The same thing happened to him at the June practice. Only then he went on to win the race; this time, he wasn't so lucky and didn't win.
Here is the #20 of Joey Logano, the #88 of Dale Jr., and the #5 of Mark Martin. After their initial laps on the track all cars were checked out before going back to the garage and coming out onto the track again. Then they were free to come and go as they pleased.
I got a few pictures of Dale's car and would have had more except that my camera is very slow in capturing moving objects. I had to snap the photo before the car was in the frame hoping that I captured it. And I wasn't always lucky. I took pictures of the cars of drivers that I like, and that is why there aren't any of the #18 Kyle Busch car.
After both Cup practice sessions were over, we finally got to see the ARCA race. There were a few local guys running the race including Bobby Gerhart from Lebanon PA. But the most memorable local driver was Kory Rabenold, a 20-year-old from Slatington PA, which is a stone's throw away from where we live. He finished 16th. Kory has worked his way up in the ranks of racing starting at a very tender age. His goal is to race in Nationwide and then Cup. I wish him all the luck in the world.
When we left the track after sitting in the sun for 5-1/2 hours, we both looked like two red hot chili peppers. Or cooked lobsters. I am still peeling from my sunburn and I haven't done that since I was in my mid-20's. Next time I go to any track I will be a little more prepared by using sunscreen and by wearing my Dale Jr. ball cap.
Needless to say, I had a wonderful time. The last time we were at Pocono a driver I didn't like and who is now retired won the race. It was also before they upgraded the seating areas. My husband never wanted to go back after that, so I was a bit surprised when he said we would use the tickets. And I didn't even have to ask.
posted by Cheyenne at 12:02 AM comment(s) made:
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Saturday, August 08, 2009
Happy Birthday!
My babies are three years old today. We adopted them and brought them home November 7, 2006. Because the shelter didn't know exactly when they were born, I was able to give them their birth date. I backed up 13 weeks (which was on their papers) from the date of adoption and came up with August 8th. That's 8/8, or 8-8, or 88 which is Dale Jr.'s car number.
This is my all-time favorite picture of them on their first day home:
They spent their first couple of months in the laundry room before I was brave enough to let them out into the rest of the house. I shouldn't have worried because they were angels. And they still are angels. Just look how small they were.
Here's another one of my favorites. Junior no longer goes up on this window seat. He's too big. Dakota loves being up there and looking out the window watching the other cats and also all the birds.
My precious little girl:
Junior says HI!
posted by Cheyenne at 12:50 AM comment(s) made:
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Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Surprise! Surprise!
Here are two kittens from our spring batch when six females had their litters. These two belong to the female aptly named Spring. This is Harley and RedLeg. Brother Stumpy must be off playing somewhere. Oh yeah, how does a kitten get to be named Stumpy? He has half a tail and it seems he was born that way.
So what I am saying here is we haven't had any newborns since the end of April. However, two days ago husband discovered two little ones behind our shed. He immediately made an impromptu shelter for them. And when I went out this morning to feed my menagerie, imagine my surprise when I see three coming out of the one shelter on our deck. Yep...three of them, not two.
So now the next thing to figure out is, who do they belong to? Can't be Mini-Me because she is very much pregnant yet. It could possibly be one of the other five females, especially the one that lost her entire litter early after they were born. So I sat there and kept vigil to see which one would go into the shelter to tend to them. And I sat...and I sat...
Aha! Who just went in there? Well, that can't be...he must be the father. It was Willie that went into the shelter. None of the "father's" have ever done that before, that is a first. Most male cats don't hang around once they have had their way. And even if they do, they never tend to their kittens. Most of them don't even know they are their kittens to start with. That's just the way it is with cats.
Well, now, it turns out that Willie is a Wilma. We assumed from the get-go that Willie was a male. Willie hangs out with another male red tiger that we call Pretty Face, so when the two of them go away for awhile we know they are together and eventually they come back home. That explains why I never saw Willie in the pregnant stage. I think I might have put two and two together then. And all this time we have been calling her Willie thinking she was a he. She sure surprised us, now didn't she?
**UPDATE**
Willie/Wilma has 4 kittens, not 3. At least I hope that's all she has.
